Disney Christmas advert 2024: does Disney release a Christmas ad - history of festive campaigns

• Disney has produced some eye-catching Christmas adverts in recent years. 
• It included a trilogy of animated creations following a character called Nicole. 
• But do they release adverts each year? 

Disney and Christmas is a combination that just makes sense. There is a reason that a Pixar film is often on BBC over the festive period after all. 

The warm and fuzzy feelings you get when watching Toy Story or Encanto are the perfect fit for the most wonderful time of the year. So, it got us thinking - does Disney do a Christmas advert. 

It feels like it would be an absolute slam dunk for the House of Mouse to serve up a festive clip to rival the likes of John Lewis - which is yet to debut its 2024 effort, but has hinted at the date. However, when you think back on famous Christmas adverts, Disney doesn’t spring to mind in the same way Sainsbury’s 1914 ad or Monty the Penguin do. 

Let’s take a look shall we. 

Does Disney release a Christmas advert each year? 

It might surprise you, but Disney does put out a Christmas advert. Or at least it has every year since 2020. 

The adverts have been a mix of animation - in the modern style of recent Pixar/ Disney films - and then last year it featured live action scenes. Disney’s first three Christmas adverts were in support of Make-a-Wish and featured an interconnected storyline. 

Disney has yet to announce a Christmas advert for 2024. 

Surprising history of Disney Christmas adverts

It wasn’t until 2020 that the House of Mouse actually released its first festive advert. Which seems like such a surprise - it feels like it should have been a decades long tradition. 

Disney’s first festive advert - Lola - actually kicked off what would become a trilogy. It is known as the ‘From Our Family to Yours’ trilogy and was in support of Make-a-Wish. 

In Lola, released in 2020, fans were introduced to Nicole and her grandmother, Lola, and watched how their bond deepened as festive traditions were passed down through the generations. The characters would return again for future instalments. 

The second part of the trilogy was 2021’s The Stepdad which followed a grown-up Nicole and her own children, Max and Ella, who welcomed stepdad Mike into their home. At the heart of the story was a very special storybook that celebrated the magic that small moments like reading together creates for families. 

In 2022, Disney released the final instalment of the trilogy - The Gift. It is told through the eyes of youngest child Ella, as she adjusts to the changing family dynamic.  

At the heart of the story is a beloved glow in the dark Mickey Mouse soft toy, which connects both past, present and future. Whilst the elder brother, Max is first shown giving Ella the Mickey Mouse to comfort her at night, Ella then gifts the soft toy to her new-born sibling at their first meet, welcoming them to the family.

Disney ventured into different waters for 2023’s effort - A Wish For The Holidays - it was not animated, instead featuring live action scenes. It also included Star from that year’s Disney film Wish and was a musical effort, featuring people around the world singing about wishes. 

Have you watched Disney’s Christmas adverts over the years? Do they live up to the standard set by John Lewis - share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected].